Research Into The Reception Of Contemporary Chinese Novels In Korea

Abstract:This thesis employs reception theory and theory of media studies to examine the reception of contemporary Chinese novels in Korea, using the works of Dai Houying, Yu Hua and Cao Wenxuan-the three most popular contemporary Chinese novelists in Korea-as representative examples.This paper will first conduct analysis of the three authors whose works are Oh the Times, Chronicles of a Blood Merchant, and Red Tile respectively, paying attention to the medium of reception, context of reception, hot topics of research and misreadings by readers. Following these will be a simple summary of the reception and conditions determining reception for contemporary Chinese literature in Korea on the basis of the analysis of these individual cases.The thesis of this paper is:Korean readers, in their reception of contemporary Chinese novels, firstly require a good medium of introduction, which may be a talented translator, the recognition of the Western literary world, the promotional force of a film, or promotion by a well-respected domestic organization. However, a good medium of introduction is only a direct, external factor, while the truly decisive role played in a novel's reception are the internal factors of readers'ranges of expectations.When reading contemporary Chinese literature, Korean readers'range of expectations mainly exhibit the following characteristics:1) a high regard for subject matter that exemplifies the values of humanism,2) an expectation of high subject matter that also includes descriptions of the daily lives of individual characters against the backdrop of a landscape different from that of Korea,3) a preference for works which describe and evoke a rich range of emotions, and 4) an appreciation of works which have interesting plots and tones which exemplify an ancient aesthetic. These characteristics determine whether a translation of a Chinese novel will be well received in Korea.